


Don't Light My Fire

by Sweetbirthdaybb



Category: Joker (2019)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, GNC reader, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Spanish Speaking Reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:14:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24817423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetbirthdaybb/pseuds/Sweetbirthdaybb
Summary: Arthur's having a bad day but coincidentally so are you. You both manage to help each other out, not in the best way but you both still manage through the burden of living in gotham city.
Relationships: Arthur Fleck/You
Kudos: 6





	Don't Light My Fire

All he can feel is the motions of the train car moving his body. Everything around him felt like a blur in and out of focus. Arthur kept blinking trying to bring himself into focus, his surrounding of the subway car but he just couldn’t. He was trying to remember what Hoyt was saying towards the end of their conversation in the phone booth. But he can’t quite place it, after he said he was fired his ears were filled with what started as a faint ringing that escalated to be nearly deafening. Maybe it was for the best he didn’t hear the rest of what he had to say, it was probably insults anyway. He had only realized his former boss had hung up when all he could hear was the dead ring of the payphone fighting for his attention. After he placed the phone back on the receiver all he could do was blankly stare at it what felt like hours.

He didn't exactly remember when he started his journey to the subway, it’s like his memory’s is a skipping record and he can only get slight glimpses of what his body is doing on autopilot while he is having his meltdown. He remembers descending the stairs, staring at a rat fight with another over a pretzel on the tracks, then his body was sitting in a subway car staring at his hands in his lap. He hears the train make it’s classic sound as it closes its doors once again, he waits for the motion of it to move him again to remind him he’s a tangible object inside it. Before the sensation of the train chugging forwards greets him he hears a banging on the door window distantly, he can’t bring himself to look up at the offending noise as he feels like he is currently filled with bees buzzing inside his entire body. 

He assumed the conductor took pity on whoever almost missed the train because he hears someone get on but with his whole dilemma of feeling that a thousand bugs are going to burst out of his chest he still does not bother to look up from his lap. If he’s ignored right now, it’s the best he can hope for until he gets to his stop. The stranger clearly was not affected by his lack of attention as far as he could tell.

They cohabit the space, both perfectly ignoring each other, the train car blissfully chugs them both forwards with it’s motion as it leaves for the next station. Arthur spaces out as he lets the motions of the car sooth him back into a place of not thinking at all, he’s sure his eyes are probably glazed over. A thousand mile stare of processing how much of a horrible day he's had and how much shit he has to go through to even begin to fix it. When his surroundings come back into focus again he feels like his chest is a little lighter, letting him be able to exhale with more ease than before. Sure he still feels like he’s in a haze but it’s clearer than before, he lifts his gaze from his lap. The stranger from before is sitting at the other end of the train car comfortably in a two seater minding her own business. Arthur knows that he probably looks strange because he’s still wearing his work clothes and makeup, but he can't help but keep glancing over at the other passenger.

Her eyes were firmly fixed on the book in her hands, nail polished nails lime grime. The black trench coat she was wearing fanned out around her, platform sneakers firmly planted on the ground. Her short cropped hair left Arthur the perfect view of her face, a beauty mark under her left eye. It was strange he had never seen a woman like her before. She was unfeminine from the way that she sat to her fashion choices but it somehow made her more beautiful. He realized he was staring when her eyes flicked up from her book, meeting his own. His cheeks felt hot from being caught, but for some stupid reason he wasn’t looking away. She kept his gaze and sneered at him. He looked away and brought his eyes back to the safety of his own lap. 

‘God i’m a fucking idiot why would i thinking staring at her would be ok? I hate it enough when people do it to me.’ he dug his nails into his pants, feeling the sharp pain of them in his legs.

The doors opened again the wonderful silence that was the background noise for his turmoil was broken by three men walking in. they were loudly talking about something, one of them eating something from a brown paper bag. 

“She was totally into you dude, you should have just asked her!”

“Nuh uh asshole, do you have EYES? Or were we not in the same bar?”

“Shut your mouth you fucker” he slurred the last part, clearly he was a little drunk.

Arthur kept staring at his lap and closed his eyes, if he’s lucky these guys won’t pay attention to him.

Though one of the suit’s attention was quickly grabbed by the stranger at the other end of the train car.

“WELL LOOK WHAT WE HAVE HERE BOYS!”

“A total hottie.”

“Yeah right, if you’re into dykes” he laughs at his own stupid joke.

Arthur’s eyes snapped up, the three suits were surrounding the woman, even in this situation she was concentrating on her book.

Offended by her lack of response the tallest suit knocked on the wall near the woman’s head.

“hellOOOOOooo” he sang in a falsetto, “is anyone home?”

Her eyes flicked up at the three of them looking incredibly bored.

“How about some fun? we show you a good time” the shortest suit propositioned

“Sorry left my magnifying glass at home.” she dead panned

Two of the suits howled with laughter, while the one who asked was not amused. He reached over and snatched the book from her hand holding it in front of her face baiting her.

“How about now?”

“Suck my clit, cara de culo.”

Arthur didn’t even feel it before it left his lungs, he was laughing and had all four pairs of eyes on him.

“Is something funny asshole?”

The question remained unanswered as Arthur kept laughing, he desperately tried to calm himself to be able to stop and explain but he kept giggling.

The suits turn their back to the woman throwing her book on the ground, she quickly picked it up and stuffed it into her coat as she watched the scene unfold, the men's focus clearly shifting from her. The tallest suit started making his way towards the clown, singing as he approached his prey, the other suits following closely behind.

“Isn’t it rich? Aren't we a pair?”

Arthur’s laughs echoed as the background track as they got closer, he tried waving them off signaling them to stop but they advanced.

“Me here at last on the ground, and you in mid air?”

They got closer, and he desperately searched his bag for his card as a last ditch effort to save himself. One of the suits was sitting next to him, taking off his wig and wearing it himself, the other two circling right in front of him staring him down mocking him. Arthur could barely breath as his laughter kept strangling him.

“Where are the clowns? There ought to be cloooowwwnnss”

“So buddy, tell us what’s so fucking funn-”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. The tallest suit found himself on the ground, every breath felt like fire in his side all he could do was gasp. The lights flickered again, the other two were shocked staring at their friend. Arthur was still laughing but instead staring at the woman, her eyes set on the shortest suit that was next to him, her fist rearing back and the lights flicked out again leaving them in darkness. But he heard her punch connect and there was a terrible crunch of something breaking under the force. When the lights of the car illuminated the scene again she kicked the second tallest suit behind his knees making him crumple in front of Arthur at his feet. 

The second suit she had punched was starting to recover, she jumped on top of him, her trench coat fanning out around her legs. Her fists were still colliding with the man's face, he was squirming trying to escape from under her but she had one knee firmly planted on his shoulder, the other on his chest. His blood splattering on the floor around him.

“Hijo de la gran puta’s never been in a fight before huh?”

“Well, first time for everything trustfund baby.” the sound of her fist colliding with his skin marked the staccato of their fight, the suit's head fell back on the floor with a thump. 

“Watch! Hah! Out! Ha ha haaa!”

She turns to see the suit she knocked down by his knees was over her ready to grab her

“You stupid coniving bitch-”

“Wrong move” Using her momentum she swings her body up and shoots her leg out, her roundhouse kick successful when she feels her foot connect with the suit's jaw.

All of the force of the kick knocks him into the bench opposite of Arthur, his laughter now dying down to a giggle, still shocked at the scene in front of him.

The woman walks over to the tallest suit, the only one still conscious. He’s still gasping like a fish out of water, his body facing up towards the ceiling of the train, the side of his face resting on the ground. She decides to put her platform on the other side of his face, pressing it further into the dirty floor.

“You’re lucky I left the knife in you, fucker.”

It’s then that Arthur realizes that she had stabbed him. A ring of red blooms on the tallest suit’s dress shirt, the offending knife snuggly resting in his side like a gorey decoration piece.

The doors of the train open again and she takes her platform off the man’s face, she looks to Arthur who has now stopped laughing entirely trying to even his breathing. She walks over to him, grabbing his hand guiding him up.

“We gotta go. Let someone else find these jerk offs.”

He doesn’t argue, he quickly grabs his bag and puts his wig inside of it and follows her out of the train, she’s still holding his hand in her own. They don’t stop walking until they’re out of the station and a few blocks away from it, the bodega they’re in front of faintly washes their faces in yellow.  


She attempts to let go of his hand but Arthur's small grip stops her, she looks at him.

“Got something to say?”

“I.. I um..” he tries his best to suppress it but his giggles burst out of him, he laughs and he looks at her immediately trying to apologize. But she simply watches him, waiting for him. By the time it stops he breathes in and out evenly, attempting to find the words.

“I’m sorry.” his snaps his eyes to hers, confusion clearly written on his face. She squeezes his hand and closes her eyes, when she opens them again he can see her clear resolve.

“I’m sorry I handled that the way I did, I had a bad day and..” she sighs looking away ashamed

“I helped you selfishly, I wanted a fight. I wanted a reason, you gave me one.”

“I had a bad day too.” he smiles sadly at her, which she returns just as melancholic.

He could feel the wetness of blood on her knuckles under his thumb, he brought them up to the light, the torn up skin looked almost beautiful in the warm light that streamed out of the bodega window.

**Author's Note:**

> hi. funny enough i had a bad day too, but it's ok, writing about arthur helps.
> 
> translations  
> cara de culo - ass face  
> hijo de la gran puta - son of a whore


End file.
